+562 2207 9303 info@contreraslex.cl

Our Team

Our lawyers have graduated from the most prestigious universities in the country and all have postgraduate studies in Chile or abroad. Likewise, they are authors of various legal publications and constantly participate as speakers in legal seminars and several of them are or have been university professors.

Osvaldo Contreras Strauch

Founding Partner

Graduated in Legal and Social Sciences, University of Chile. He obtained his Law Degree in 1969.
He completed postgraduate studies at the University of California, at the Los Angeles and Davis campus, and at the University of the Basque Country, obtaining the academic degrees of Magister and Bachelor of International Transactions.

Professor of Commercial Law, he is the author of dozens of law books. Amongst his published works we can highlight “Insurance Law” (three editions), “Maritime Law” (two editions), “Commercial Law Institutions” (four editions) ), “Insolvency and Bankruptcy” and “Jurisprudence on Insurance. Collection and Analysis”. He is also the author of more than 200 articles and reports in law on matters of his specialty, many of them published both in Chile and abroad, in particular on Insurance, Bankruptcy, Civil Liability and Maritime Law. On these same subjects, he has given talks, conferences and participated in seminars, colloquia and congresses organized in more than twenty countries. Founder of the Chilean Magazine of Insurance Law.

He has been Professor of Commercial Law at the Diego Portales University and of Economic Policy at the University of Chile. He has integrated the Santiago Court of Appeals for several periods. He is the author of several bills on matters pertaining to Commercial Law, particularly the bill that entered the National Congress as a parliamentary motion and gave rise to Law 20,667 of May 9, 2013, which substantially modified the regulations on the insurance contract.

Member of the Chilean Bar Association, the Chilean Association of Maritime Law, the Institute of Judicial Studies, the Institute of Commercial Law, the International Association of Insurance Law, of which he is currently Counsellor of the Presidency and President of the Working Group on Civil Liability Insurance. He is also Director and member of the Arbitration Corps of the Iberolatinoamerican Arbitration Center on Insurance and Reinsurance (ARIAS LatAm).

He was the founder of the Law Firm Contreras & Cía., Where he works as a senior partner and specialist in Commercial Law, Insurance and Civil Liability. He has extensive experience in litigation and arbitration (both domestic and international) in matters of his specialty.

Languages: Spanish, English, German and French.

Osvaldo Contreras Buzeta

Partner

Bachelor´s in Legal and Social Sciences, Universidad Diego Portales. Approved with Distinction.

Lawyer title granted by the Excellent Supreme Court, year 2010

Diploma in Labor Law, Procedural Reform and Litigation, Universidad Diego Portales.

Master (LL.M.) International Commercial Law. Exeter University (Devon, England).

Assistant professor in procedural law, Diego Portales University.

Foreign attorney Chadbourne & Parke LL.P 2014-2015, London, England.

His thesis was focused on the area of commercial law, entitled “Non-contractual Civil Liability and Claims Made Coverage” (2007), published and available in the library of the Faculty of Law of the Diego Portales University.

In 2010 he worked as an associate attorney at Estudio Carvallo Abogados in the litigation area, focusing on civil, commercial and insurance matters.

Coordinator and co-author of “Insurance and Reinsurance Law in Latin America” (Editorial Tirant Lo Blanch, year 2019), work dedicated to the comparative study of legislation, regulation and legal criteria that different Latin American jurisdictions deal with on various topics of interest in the insurance and reinsurance area.

In Contreras & Cia. he focuses his area of practice in litigation arbitration and dispute resolution in the areas of civil, commercial, labor, and consumer rights protection, with special knowledge in insurance and civil liability. 

Member of the Colegio de Abogados A.G.

Member of AIDA-Chile

Awards and Recognitions: He has been recognized in the Insurance Litigation category by Leaders League and recognized by Best Lawyers in the Insurance Law category.

Languages: English and Spanish.

Jaime Apparcel Carrillo

Partner

Bachelor´s in Legal and Social Sciences, Universidad Diego Portales. 

Lawyer Title granted by the Excellent Supreme Court. Year 2011.

Postgraduate Diploma in Real Estate Business Law at Universidad de los Andes, 2013.

Postgraduate studies in Business Law at Universidad Diego Portales, 2012-2013. Approved with distinction.

In 2016 he graduated as an International Business Mediator from the Mediator Institute of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland, working as a foreign lawyer at the Mc Mahon & Associates law firm in the same country.

Between 2011 and 2014 he worked as a corporate lawyer in the area of ​​Acts and Contracts in Corplegal, providing legal advice required by CorpBanca and companies belonging to CorpGroup, focusing on real estate, commercial and banking matters.

Between 2014 and 2015, he worked as an associate lawyer at Estudio Carvallo and Legaltec Servicios Inmobiliarios (both part of Holding Carvallo) where he focused his practice on negotiation of acts and contracts, capital increases, shareholders meetings, corporate structuring and powers, preparation of credit contracts and study of titles.

He joined Contreras y Cia abogados in 2016 in the areas of insurance, Real State, Subdivisions, company law, Hereditary Law and civil and commercial contracts, mediations.

Since 2020 he has become General Manager. 

Languages: Spanish, English, French.

José Manuel Madero Escudero

Degree in Legal and Social Sciences. Adolfo Ibáñez University.

Title of Lawyer granted by the Supreme Court. Year 2009.

His practice focuses on advising policyholders on insurance controversies of various kinds (property, life, health, guarantee and credit, etc.) both during the claims settlement process and in the judicial phase.

In addition, he has experience in tort litigation, arbitration, bankruptcy proceedings, consumer class actions, and insurance fraud.

Previously, he worked at Estudio Carvallo, focusing his professional practice on insurance, coverage disputes, and reimbursement and legal recovery actions.

Postgraduate in Insurance Law. versity of Buenos Aires, Argentina (2021)

Diploma in Insolvency and Re-entrepreneurship. Universidad del Desarrollo (2020)

Member of the Association of Insurance Lawyers (AIDA – Chile) and its Dispute Resolution group.

Awards and Recognitions: He has been recognized in the Insurance Litigation category by Leaders League and recognized by Best Lawyers in the Insurance Law category.

Andrés Maira Cuevas

Bachelor of Law and Social Sciences from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, approved with distinction.

Lawyer Title granted by the Most Excellent Supreme Court; 2016.

He has worked mainly in areas of Private Law, in charge of processing civil contentious matters. He completed his professional practice at the Legal Assistance Corporation, being evaluated with the highest grade.

He has participated in multiple exhibitions and seminars given by his house of studies and by the University of Chile, among which are specialization courses in Real Estate Law, Water Law and Research Seminars in Procedural Law.

Practice areas litigation and dispute resolution, civil liability, real estate and company law.

Member of the A.G

Languages: Spanish, English

Degree in Legal and Social Science from the Universidad Mayor approved with distinction.
Title of Lawyer granted by the Honorable Supreme Court Year 2006.

He has worked as a lawyer for different national and international companies, advising them on corporate and compliance in matters related to all their operations, having vast experience in corporate law. In addition, he was a lawyer for different governmental and non-governmental institutions in Asian countries, thus fulfilling a fundamental role in improving international relations between Chile and the countries of the Asian bloc.

He currently works as a lawyer in civil, commercial and labor matters, with a special focus on associations of the communities of China, Peru and Korea.

He has been an assistant professor of the Chilean Korean Study Center Program (ChKSCP) at the Universidad Santiago de Chile.

Languages: Spanish, English and Korean

Ignacio Cherit Guevara

Graduated in Legal and Social Sciences from the Diego Portales University, graduated with distinction. He obtained his law degree in 2012. Master in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences, Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (2017).

Previously he worked for Chaves Awad Contreras & Schürmann (2012-2109) as associate lawyer. Later he worked for the Law Firm Bascuñán Barra Awad Contreras & Schürmann (2020).

He has worked as a trial lawyer in criminal, civil and administrative sanction-type proceedings. He specializes on economic criminal and compliance matters. His professional practice is also focused on criminal liability of legal entities and internal investigations, providing advice on the design and implementation of compliance and crime prevention models.

 Languages: English and Spanish.

Alejandro Alegría Villarroel

Graduated in Legal and Social Sciences with distinction from the Universidad Diego Portales. Master in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain (2014).

Alejandro started his professional career as a lawyer in Public Prosecutor’s Offices (2011-2015). Later joined Bascuñán Barra Awad Contreras & Schürmann as an associate lawyer (2015-2021).

His professional career is focus on criminal, civil and Administrative Law Penalties. Alejandro has participated in cases with diverse complexity and high public profile, crimes against property, economic and civil servants, and the design and implementation of compliance models and in development of internal investigations of companies. Additionally, Alejandro advises clients in commercial and strategic elements, guiding for the prevention or resolution of conflicts with individuals and the public administration.

Besides, in the academic field Alejandro has been assistant professor on the Department of Criminal Law at the Universidad Diego Portales (2013), and assistant in the Master in Criminal Law at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (2016).

Languages: English and Spanish.

Beatriz Rivera Vázquez

Bachelor’s in Legal and Social Sciences, Universidad Gabriela Mistral.

Lawyer title granted by Excellent Supreme Court of Chile, year 2011.

Master of Laws (LL.M.) Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile with mention in Company Law.

Postgraduate Diploma in Tax and Company Law, Universidad del Desarrollo, year 2012.

Beatriz specialize in commercial, corporate and company law focusing her areas of practice in analysis of legal powers, public deeds, creation, modification, fusion, dissolution and corporate settlements and drafting of civil and commercial contracts.

Languages: English and Spanish.

Daniella Lepori Rojas

Lawyer with more than ten years of experience in private companies and public institutions. Degree in Legal and Social Sciences from the Diego Portales University. She obtained her law degree in May 2012.

Began his professional career in private companies, perfecting herself in the area of ​​Telecommunications Law and Real Estate Law. In 2017, he entered the public service, to advise different organizations in matters of Administrative Law, Tenders, Public Procurement and Projects Execution.

That same year she completed a Diploma in Administrative Law with mention in economics, from the Catholic University of Chile. In 2020 she completed a new Diploma in Public Policies, Probity and Transparency from the University of Chile.

Juan Manuel de la Cuesta Whittle

Bachelor’s in Legal and Social Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez.

Lawyer’s Degree granted by the Excellent Supreme Court. Year 2010.

Master of Laws (LL.M) in Technology and Entrepreneurship Law. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, United States)

Diploma in Business Real Estate Law, Universidad de los Andes, 2012.

He attended for more than five years as Legal Affairs Manager of Scotiabank Chile subsidiaries, related to the issuance and processing of credit cards, where in addition to advising the executive team and different lines of business, he served as secretary of the Board of Directors.

 

Previously, as a Retail Banking Lawyer at Scotiabank Chile, he was responsible for advising on regulatory and contractual matters in the operation, marketing, development, and technological implementation of Bank products and as a Supervising Lawyer at Corplegal, he provided advice in banking operations required by CorpBanca and companies belonging to CorpGroup.

He has intervened in all types of banking operations and matters related to the development and sale of financial products, including litigation arising from relations with consumers of various financial institutions and contributed to the preparation of observations and recommendations for their regulation.

He joined C & C in 2023, concentrating his practice in: Banking & Finance, Corporate, Real Estate, Technology, Payment and Consumer law.

Languages: English and Spanish.

Gonzalo Escudero Bascuñán

Lawyer of the University of Chile

He has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Previously he worked professionally at the company Mutuelle Du Mans, as deputy claims manager and later, for more than 30 years, at Marsh-MacLennan Insurance Brokers; first as deputy claims manager, later as manager and finally as senior claims consultant, focused on advising policyholders in the settlement of large and complex claims in the mining, energy, retail and manufacturing areas.

In charge of advising and representing policyholders during the claims settlement processes, which involves the analysis and review of the applicable coverage, the review and validation of the background and information required and necessary for the materialization of the settlements and will be the Responsible for interaction and negotiation with insurance adjusters.

Vicente Ríos Urzúa

Lawyer, LL.M. in Business Law from the Adolfo Ibáñez University, Chile. Master in Tort Law and Civil Liability from the Universidad de los Andes, Chile. Member of the Chilean branch of the Ibero-American Institute of Maritime Law, and of the Association Internationale de Droit de Assurances, AIDA Chile; Editor of “Actualidad Jurídica” Magazine of the Ibero-American Institute of Maritime Law, Chilean section; Author of the book “Parametric Insurance: Technical and Legal Perspectives” (2023) and Co-author of the book “Practical Briefing of Maritime Insurance and Claims Management” (2023), both from Editorial Hammurabi.

Previously, he worked in the infrastructure and maritime civil liability area at Graham Miller Liquidadores de Seguros and currently holds the position of Legal & Claims Manager (Marine Cargo Claims) at Liventus S.A.

As of October 2023, he joins as of counsel for the insurance area, focusing his advice on the area of ​​claims management and advice on cargo transportation insurance, mainly for perishable, fresh, frozen/IQ, processed products. , and, in general, all types of cargo that require special conditions

Bruno Montenegro

Attorney

Law graduate from Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago.

Has been a teaching assistant in many subjects, including Theory of Law and Criminal Law, being recognized as teaching assistant of the year 2022 by the Faculty of Law of Adolfo Ibáñez University.

Previously, he completed a summer internship in law firm Morales & Besa, during February 2020, and worked as paralegal of the Civil Litigation and Arbitration area at the law firm Cuatrecasas, between 2021 and 2022.

During the year 2022, he studied for six months at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universitat in Münster, Germany, as part of a student exchange programme.

Languages: Spanish and English.